Duality
by BigBadWolfyBoy
Summary: Two sides to every person. Two sides to every story. What happens when the lines of fiction and fact cross? AU. BBxRae. Please R&R. No flames!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **Please R&R. No flames. Enjoy! I'm taking a different approach to this story, telling it in first person - Gar's POV. Feedback is much appreciated. I'd love to hear ideas or thoughts on how to go about this story.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Teen Titans, just the idea for this story.

* * *

**I**

**M**ovies – a form of entertainment that can be derived from fact, pieces of fact, or pure fiction. This form of entertainment is supposed to be harmless; it's supposed to give you that rush of adrenaline that only those characters get to experience. It's supposed to get your heart pumping, imagination running, and take you into fantasy. Harmless fun...

I believed in all these things until I was given an assignment that made my views change. Things are only harmless if the lines between fact and fiction don't blur, if what was made to stay a secret did just that. I remember when I was naïve and happy as though it were only yesterday…

My classmates and I sat on the edge of our seats in anxious anticipation as our professor passed around a hat containing slips of paper with the subject of our assignment on it. Our Film History professor was notorious for taking such obscure methods when it came to giving us homework and also took the idea of film history up a notch or two, making more than one field apply to it.

Eyes watched as one student after another took a fortune cookie sized piece of paper from the brown leather fedora, sighs of relief or groans of disappointment occasionally escaping a few who were either the victor or the victim of a bad choice.

My pulse beat in my ears, my palms began to get clammy, and with my seat being in the back of the class, I was sure that all the good subjects would be taken by the time the hat reached me. If only I'd truly known…

The worn leather felt odd in my sweaty hand and I place my other hand into it, feeling about for a few seconds before pulling out my piece of paper and was somewhat reluctant to pass the hat to my friend, Kori, who sat to my right. With a gulp I resigned myself to whatever subject had chosen me and unfolded the paper, reading the topic scribbled on it.

_Beasts and Werewolves – Fang, Folklore, and. Fiction._

I reread the topic. _Surely this is some sort of joke,_ I thought.

"Whatever you pick you are to stick to ladies and gentlemen," Professor Abram announced, seeming to bring everyone out of his or her own thoughts. "No trading, no whining, and definitely no trying to talk me into giving you another subject matter." A small wave of laughter came from the room. "Whatever piece of paper chose you is what your research paper is to be about. You have until the end of the semester to finish it."

I glanced back down to the paper and sighed. "So shall it be written, so shall it be done," I thought to myself, reciting the famous line from Cecile B. Deville's _Ten Commandments_ starring the late and great Charleston Hesston.

I couldn't totally complain. After all, werewolves and similar beasts had been an interest of mine since as far back as I could remember. My only problem with it was that the topic had such a broad range and the research paper was only going to be five pages in length. How was I to narrow down a subject, which had been written and turned into movie gold over decades? I decided I'd ask just this once class was over. Besides, the only dumb question is the question that isn't asked, right?

The bell rang and everyone rose hastily from his or her seat, no doubt to go to the small concession stand just done the hall that sold the best food on campus. I, on the other hand, took my time, lingering behind my friends and fellow classmates. I made no attempt to make it seem as though doing such wasn't my intent. This action got Professor Abram's attention just as I had wanted.

"Something troubling you, Mr. Logan?" He asked, a salt-and-pepper colored eyebrow rising in what I guessed was more curiosity than anything else.

I gave a nod. "Actually, I have a question," I admitted a bit timidly. Film history was the only class I'd managed to keep a straight A in and I'd be damned if something was going to change that.

"Well speak up, boy," he said, a smile causing the dimples on his round face to show. "You're classmates aren't the only ones with an appetite." I couldn't help but return the smile and walked over to him, handing him the piece of paper. He studied it for a moment. "And what is your question?"

"What are you looking for specifically? I mean, this subject matter has quite a large…reputation in the film industry as well as just about everything in a culture's history."

"You mean you wish to narrow your research?" he asked, his tone indicating surprise.

"Only if you wish the paper to meet your requirements, Professor," I replied.

A hand came to rest on my shoulder. "Gar, this is a golden opportunity for you."

His words caused my brows to furrow in confusion. "I don't understand."

The middle-aged professor sighed lightly. "You've shown an interest in this particular subject since you first walked into this class. The roots of the werewolf legends can be traced to any society, as you said, therefore you can use your other fields of study. For instance, the skills you've learned in your anthropology class can be applied here." He squeezed my shoulder in a friendly manner. "You should be happy that you were given a subject you already know something about."

I let his words register before giving a nod. "You're right. But there's still so many angles…"

"So explore all of them," he said simply. "What harm can it do you? Watch movies, compare and contrast, find what legend makes more sense, make an argument between fiction and a possible scientific approach. The possibilities are endless. You just have to find the right path."

His words caused me to go from overwhelmed to enthusiastic in record time.

* * *

I walked out of the classroom with a bounce in my step, feeling much more confident and my mind was ticking away the ideas that could be used to get the project done. However, I wasn't left alone to think for long because the bubbly voice of Kori - an exchange student from a country I couldn't quite pronounce - reached my ears.

"Friend, are you not excited about this project?" she asked.

I nodded. "Actually, I am. I'm going to make my project be different. I'm going to do something that no one will do."

"And what is that?" she asked.

I looked to her, brows furrowing as I began to think and then just settled for shrugging. "I'm not sure just yet, but whatever it is, it's going to be totally awesome."

Kori smiled. "I am sure it will be, Gar."

We walked in silence until we were at the quad. Kori looked to me. "I must say good-bye now. I am to meet Raven in the library." Something sparked in her eye. "Do you want to join us?"

I wanted to leap at the chance just like the way my heart leapt into my throat at the mention of Rachel, aka Raven, Roth. I'd had a crush on her since freshman year, but hadn't been able to do anything aside from crack some jokes around her in an attempt to get her to laugh or smile. Deciding that it'd be best not to embarass myself anymore than I had around the girl, I shook my head.

"That's ok. I need to go to my dorm and start researching."

"Could you not research your subject in the library?"

"I prefer using my laptop," I said, thinking fast. "I'll see you later, Kori."

And with that I began to make my way to my dorm room.

* * *

An email sent later in the day to my professor confirmed that my experiment that I'd come up with, while thinking about how to make my project be a unique and new approach, would be acceptable. A paper mainly made up of journal entries would chronicle and accompany a film documenting my journey into the world of "The Beasts Within". The film would go until the end of the semester.

I quickly retreated to my dorm room – a single, the only lottery I had ever won – to begin my research. Articles upon articles, websites upon websites, and etcetera filled my computer screen or lay askew on my desk, different colors of highlighter marking the important points. Folklore, myths, legends, and medical documentations and just about everything else one could hope to find I had at my fingertips.

I spent hours looking over all the resources, memorizing definitions. **Lycanthropy:** the ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a wolf, or wolf-like characteristics. **Clinical Lycanthropy: **rare psychiatric syndrome which involves a delusion that the affected person can or has transformed into an animal, or that he or she is an animal. **Therianthropy:** part man and part beast, from the Greek _therion_, meaning "wild animal" or "beast", and _anthrōpos_, meaning "man" refers to the metamorphosis of humans into other animals; can also refer to artistic descriptions of characters that simultaneously share human and nonhuman animal traits, for example the animal-headed humanoid forms of gods depicted in Egyptian mythology (such as Ra, Sobek, Anubis, and others) as well as creatures like centaurs and mermaids.

I looked up and downloaded a program that followed the phases of the moon and researched it's relevance when it came to folklore, fiction, and what it meant in today's society. I was intrigued to find out that most crimes over many, many years had mainly occurred on full moons, which is when some believed aggression and tension to be at it's highest point. I scribbled down a reminder on a green post-it note to ask my close friend, Richard Gracen, about that. He was studying to become a Private Investigator and I was sure he'd be willing to help me out.

After only God knows how many hours, my eyes began to blur, my head to pound, and my stomach to growl. Deciding that I'd done enough research for one night, I got up from my desk and then walked into my bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face. Exploring every which way was going to be hard. I ran a hand through my hair; a dark blonde color with spiked, frosted green tips. I then looked down to my watch and decided that I'd go walk to the local vegan joint that wasn't too far from the campus.

As I pulled on my jean jacket, my cell phone rang. I looked at who was calling and smiled and then picked up.

"Hey dude," I said.

"Hey grass stain," Victor said. "Got any plans for tonight?"

"Just going to go down to get a tofu dog or two and then was planning on coming back to the dorm. Why?"

"I just got the latest Mega Monkeys 8 and was wondering if you'd be up to getting your butt whooped at it," he replied confidently.

"Psssh. Never going to happen dude."

"So, are you game?"

I smiled. "Yea, I'm game. Be over as soon as I get done eating. I need the break anyway."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **Please R&R. No flames. Enjoy! I'm taking a different approach to this story, telling it in first person - Gar's POV. Feedback is much appreciated. I'd love to hear ideas or thoughts on how to go about this story.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Teen Titans, just the idea for this story.

* * *

**II**

**T**he confident laughter and trademark "Booyah!" that Victor always screamed echoed in my mind as I walked from his dorm, which was on the other side of the campus, to mine. I glanced down at my watch and sighed deeply, 4 am, I hadn't been meaning to spend so much time over there, but I was determined to show Victor that I was able to master the awesomeness of Mega Monkeys 8. After I grumbled while he gloated, we'd agreed to a rematch.

I yawned widely, my arms stretching out as I did so. In my sleepy state I hadn't noticed that there was another person jogging my way. My arm collided with the person, causing both of us to let out a startled yelp before meeting the concrete. I groaned as I laid on my back looking up at one of the many trees that lined the walking paths.

As I sat up, I looked over at the person I'd managed to take down with me.

"Sorry about…"

"Hey, why don't you watch where you're going! There's plenty of sidewalk for the two of us!" came the very irritated female voice.

My brow crinkled. "Hey, I said I was sorry."

The girl pulled down the hood on her hoodie and looked at me, bluish-violet eyes met my gaze, and I felt that lump form in my throat once more.

"Raven?" I asked, well more like croaked out, moving to stand up quickly, and hold my hand out to her. She swatted it away and got up on her own, a hand moving to rub where my arm had hit her.

Her eyes narrowed. "You," she replied, her tone becoming more irritated.

We stared at each other in an unnerving silence that felt like it lasted for an eternity.

"Ar-Are you all right?" I asked, moving a hand to nervously rub at the back of my neck. _So much for trying not to embarrass myself in front of her_, I thought.

"I'm fine," Raven said. "Why are you out this late anyway?"

"Oh, uh, I was just coming from Vic's place," I explained. "Wait, why are you out so early?"

"I couldn't sleep," came the simple reply.

"Huh." I said as I nodded. "Well, again, I'm sorry for not paying attention to what I was doing."

"You should be," she said and then began to jog off. I watched after her until she disappeared into the darkness. That girl sure was a hard one to predict.

* * *

The next day I continued my research, getting a hold of Dick, and when I had some free time I went over to talk with him.

"Werewolves, huh?" Dick said, an amused look forming on his face.

"Not specifically. Look, you said that some case studies show that there have been more violent crimes on the nights of a full moon…"

"Well, yes, but that could merely be a coincidence, Gar. That's like saying that more crimes occur during New Year's or Mardi Gra." He moved to sit down at the table across from me at the local coffee shop.

"You sure are skeptical for someone who's going into law enforcement, Dick," I said.

He smirked. "There's a logical reason for everything."

"Dick!" came a rather enthusiastic voice from behind me. There was no mistaking who it was from.

"Kori," Dick replied in a pleasant tone, smiling at the red head. I saw his gaze shift to someone else. "Raven, nice to see you."

_Raven!_ My mind screamed and I found myself trying to slump down in my chair, hoping I could disappear.

"May we join you?" Kori asked, but sat down before the three of us could object.

Raven sat down next to me. My pulse sped up and I tried to look anywhere but at her. I failed miserably in doing so.

"Gar, how is your project going?" Kori asked.

"It's going," I said.

"Project? And exactly what kind of project are you doing, Gar?" Raven asked.

I resigned myself to my fate and looked at her. "Well, it's for my Film History class. I was given the topic of Beasts and Werewolves – Fang, Folklore, and Fiction. I was just asking Dick for some statistics regarding lunar activity and crime."

As I'd been explaining myself, I couldn't help but notice that Raven seemed to look as though she were actually interested in what I was saying.

"Sounds interesting," she said.

"Yes, very!" Kori said smiling widely, "Friend Raven is in the midst of a similar project!"

Raven sent a quick glare at Kori.

"What's the topic?" Dick asked, the curiosity in his voice matching how curious I was.

"It's stupid."

I smiled at her. "C'mon, it can't be stupid."

"And why is that?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Because you're not a stupid woman," I said before I actually thought about what I was saying. I was preparing to mentally kick myself when I saw something that resembled a blush form on Raven's cheeks and just the slightest hint of a smile.

"I'm doing a paper on the modern day witch, but I'm also digging into the background and history of it all."

"That sounds really cool."

"Hey Kori, why don't you and Raven go order something?" Dick suggested with a nudge. Kori nodded and grabbed Raven by the arm, whisking her away to the line.

"Gar, you like Raven."

"What? No way. I don't like her." I couldn't even convince myself that what I was saying was true.

"Tell ya what, we'll talk later. I'll leave you and Raven to have some alone time."

"Dick, we don't need any alone time," I said, glancing to the returning women, and then noticed that Dick was moving to get up.

Raven sat down, but this time across from me, at Dick's insistence. He and Kori stuck around for a few more minutes before finding some reason to leave. I took a sip of my coffee and then looked to Raven.

"So…"

"You don't have to pretend. We both know what's going on here," she said then took a sip of whatever she'd ordered. "They're setting us up."

A nervous laugh left me. "Yeah, got to love nosey friends."

"Hmmm." She took another sip of her drink. "Well, it's not like anything would happen anyway."

"Why's that?" I asked, rather curious as to her reasoning.

"I don't believe anyone has ever gotten hot and heavy over coffee."

I felt the corner of my lips curl into a smile. "Oh yeah? Then how come there are so many Columbians?"

I froze at what I saw next. A smile. Raven was smiling…at me. For some reason it made me think of the part in the _Addams Family Values_ where Wednesday smiles for all the Chippewa's to see. I wasn't sure if I should be slightly frightened or think that it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life.

We spent a few minutes making idle conversation after that and then she left. I watched her walk out, taking in the sight of her before she pulled up the hood on her jacket, covering how beautiful she was.

As I walked back to my dorm, I couldn't help but feel a little triumphant.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Please R&R. No flames. Enjoy! I'm taking a different approach to this story, telling it in first person - Gar's POV. Feedback is much appreciated. I'd love to hear ideas or thoughts on how to go about this story.

Thank you to all my reviewers! Your encouraging words definitely help me out when it comes to writing something I'm not too sure about.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Teen Titans, just the idea for this story.

* * *

**III**

**I**'d taken off quickly after I'd spoken to my anthropologist professor about which culture had one of the best-documented beliefs concerning shapeshifters. The professor had given me an odd look at my question, but since it'd been something I'd shown an interest in since arriving at Jump City University, I guessed that she'd figured it was just my curiosity asking. She'd directed me to the Navajo Indians and their belief in Skinwalkers.

Once out of the classroom, I practically ran to the large library on the JCU campus. I'd scarcely visited the library since starting college. The idea of not being in my dorm room with my laptop and music blaring had never appealed to me. However, I knew that they held the best records of the supernatural. After all, Jump City had supposedly seen it's fair share of paranormal activity back when it was being settled.

The librarian had hushed me when I came in for breathing too loudly. I couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever tried to run from a class to the library before and the thought of the old woman doing so made me start to laugh, causing me to receive another glare from her. I stifled my laughter the best I could as I asked her where I might find my information. Once pointed in the right direction, I walked off.

My blue eyes skimmed the plastic covered bookbindings as I searched, finally finding what I was looking for. I grabbed the book and moved over to an empty table, flipping through the pages until I found what I needed.

"_Possibly the best documented skinwalker beliefs are those relating to the Navajo yee naaldlooshii (literally "with it, he goes on all fours" in the Navajo language). A yee naaldlooshii is one of several varieties of Navajo witch (specifically an 'ánt'įįhnii or practitioner of the Witchery Way, as opposed to a user of curse-objects ('adagąsh) or a practitioner of Frenzy Way ('azhįtee)). Technically, the term refers to an 'ánt'įįhnii who is using his (rarely her) powers to travel in animal form. In some versions men or women who have attained the highest level of priesthood then commit the act of killing an immediate member of their family, and then have thus gained the evil powers that are associated with skinwalkers._

_The 'ánt'įįhnii are human beings who have gained supernatural power by breaking a cultural taboo. Specifically, a person is said to gain the power to become a yee naaldlooshii upon initiation into the Witchery Way. Both men and women can become 'ánt'įįhnii and therefore possibly skinwalkers, but men are far more numerous. It is generally thought that only childless women can become witches."_

I glanced around and then continued on.

"_Although it is most frequently seen as a coyote, wolf, owl, fox, or crow, the yee naaldlooshii is said to have the power to assume the form of any animal they choose, depending on what kind of abilities they need. Witches use the form for expedient travel, especially to the Navajo equivalent of the 'Black Mass', a perverted song (and the central rite of the Witchery Way) used to curse instead of to heal. They also may transform to escape from pursuers._

_Some Navajo also believe that skinwalkers have the ability to steal the "skin" or body of a person. The Navajo believe that if you lock eyes with a skinwalker they can absorb themselves into your body. It is also said that skinwalkers avoid the light and that their eyes glow like an animal's when in human form and when in animal form their eyes do not glow as an animal's would._

_A skinwalker is usually described as naked, except for an animal skin. Some Navajos describe them as a mutated version of the animal in question. The skin may just be a mask, like those which are the only garment worn in the witches'_ _song._

_Because animal skins are used primarily by skinwalkers, the pelt of animals such as bears, coyotes, wolves, and cougars are strictly tabooed. Sheepskin and buckskin are probably two of the few hides used by Navajos; the latter is used only for ceremonial purposes."_

I saw the connection. Witchcraft. Shapeshifting. I stood up abruptly, closing the book, and walked back over to the Librarian, checking out the book.

There was only one person on campus that I knew might have a clue about the witchcraft, and I hoped that she'd be willing to help me out.

* * *

The dorm room door opened and Raven stared at me, annoyance radiating off of her.

"What are you…?"

"What do you know about witchcraft pretaining to shapeshifters?" I interupted. The question hung in the air and our eyes locked, both challenging the other. Finally she stepped aside and I walked in.

The dorm was spacious and reminded me more of a single level apartment. There were two separate bedrooms, a small kitchen, dining nook, and a living room. I turned to look at her. Raven's arms were crossed over her chest and she shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

"Why do you want to know so bad?" she asked, a dark brow rising.

"Because of this," I said, bringing out the book and opening it to the section I'd read in the library. I handed it to her and after a breif moment of hesitation she took the book, reading over it.

She sighed, "This is only one belief, Garfield."

"So you knew about it," I said.

"Yes." She handed the book back to me and moved to go sit down on the couch. I followed after her, coming to sit beside her. "However, I wouldn't suggest going out on a full moon wearing nothing but an animal skin to try and find out if it actually works."

"That's only one way," I said. "What's Black Mass?"

Raven looked at me, her eyes wide. "What?"

"Black Mass. What is it?"

She sighed. "It's a Satanic ritual that supposedly dates back to apostolic times. Allegedly it takes place during the Witches' Sabbath and was a perversion or parody of the Catholic Mass." Raven ran a hand through her dark hair. "It's not agreed upon, but some believed that the Host was replaced with a piece of dry human or animal flesh. And that's all you're getting out of me."

"But…"

"No." Raven moved to stand. "Leave this alone, Gar. What you're diving into is dangerous."

I watched her and then moved to stand as well. Raven had a lithe frame but was also gifted with an hourglass figure that would make any woman jealous. I guessed her to be somewhere around 5'7", which was short compared to my 6'2", athletic build.

"You believe all of this," I said as I watched those stunning eyes of hers. "You know it's true."

"Leave it be," she stated once more.

"And what if I don't?"

"Then you really are an idiot." Raven went to move away but I followed her, our eyes still locked.

"What do you really know, Raven? Are you part of some witch coven or something?"

Her eyes narrowed and I knew I'd hit a nerve. "I practice witchcraft, but nothing like Black Mass or anything Satantic or evil in nature."

I opened my mouth to ask another question when the door to the dorm opened, Dick and Kori walking in on my tense moment with Raven. I saw the relief come into her eyes. _Saved by the bell,_ I thought.

"Everything is ok is it not?" Kori asked, seeming to sense the extra tension between Raven and myself.

"Everything's fine, Kori," Raven said, glancing to her friend before looking back at me. "Gar was just leaving."

Deciding not to push my luck, I huffed and then walked out, muttering my goodbyes to the three. She was keeping something from me. Somewhere deep down, I knew that she was.

* * *

"Booyah! Take that grass stain! I am whooping your butt!" Victor yelled in my ear, his thumbs working furiously on the controller.

Normally I would've been doing the same, but since my encounter with Raven three days ago, my concentration had been fleeting. The screen flashed "Game Over" in bold red letters and Victor moved to finally relax on the couch, placing the controller on the table. I placed mine beside it and then sighed.

"Ok Gar, I know that you're not giving up that easy," Victor said.

I ran a hand through my hair. "Sorry, Vic. I'm just not in the mood."

"Not in the mood…for videogames…" I was off in la-la land when Victor moved over to grab my side, causing me to yelp and jump in surprise. "Who are you and what have you done with Gar?" He asked.

I rubbed my side. "What the hell dude?"

"You know, ever since you started that project of yours you've been acting really strange," Victor paused and then added, "Well, stranger than usual."

"Let me ask you something, Vic. Do you believe that the supernatural exists?"

"Is this about that whole thing with Raven?"

My eyes widened. I hadn't told him about that. "How do you know about…" I stopped myself. "Wait, let me guess, Raven told Kori and Kori told Dick who in turn told you?"

"Pretty much." He smiled. "Look dude, you need to just chill out. So Raven is a modern day witch. Big deal."

"I just don't get it man. How did she know about that dark magic if she doesn't practice it?"

Victor shrugged. "Beats me. Although that Malcom…no Malchior guy she was dating two years back was a freaky guy."

"Malchior?" The name didn't ring a bell, besides what kind of a name was that anyway?

"Yeah, Gar. Freshman year for you and Raven. He's a senior now. That jerk did all sorts of damage to Raven's heart."

My brows furrowed. "How do you know of him?"

"Look, I heard rumors from Bee and all. She said that he was wicked scary. Apparently he was always talking about curses and what not in her literature class. It was also goin' round that he was in some sort of elite club headed up by this guy named Slade."

"Huh. Well, that's…interesting."

Victor gave me a stern glance. "Don't you go poking around now, Gar."

"Me? No way, Vic." I said and then picked up the controller. "C'mon, I'm gonna beat you this round."

Victor smiled and we continued our rematch. However, I had it in the back of my mind to ask Dick to do some poking around for me about this Malchior guy.

* * *

**AN: **I hope that you guys liked this chapter! I know a lot happened in it. The information I found was courtesy of Wikipedia. Please Review!


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Please R&R. No flames. Enjoy! I'm taking a different approach to this story, telling it in first person - Gar's POV. Feedback is much appreciated. I'd love to hear ideas or thoughts on how to go about this story.

Thank you to all my reviewers! Your encouraging words definitely help me out when it comes to writing something I'm not too sure about.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. Darn…

* * *

**IV**

"**L**eave it alone, Gar," Dick said as he lounged in the large leather desk chair. "I've got to agree with Raven, you're looking into dangerous information."

Now I was getting really perturbed. "So you're not going to help me?"

Dick sighed deeply. "Look, I've heard of this Slade guy. He's nothing but trouble and if Malchior is hanging around with him then he's just as bad."

"Dude, you're like the cop out of all of us. I thought that you would be jumping at the chance to expose something like this," I said.

"Gar…"

"Dick, just look into Malchior. Please? I mean, what if he comes around Raven again? That would mean that he'd be around Kori too."

Dick met my gaze and stayed silent for a moment before he gave a nod.

"Fine. I'll call you if I find anything."

I smiled. "Thanks Dick. I really appreciate it."

"Gar, just promise me that you'll stay out of trouble."

"Sure," I replied as I walked out the door and soon found myself on the sidewalk.

Ok, I knew that playing the "Kori would be in danger" card was a bit of a low move, but I was desperate for information. After all, it's not like you learn that a student at your school could be part of an elite club of criminal masterminds, right?

* * *

I found myself completely engrossed in my study of my given topic. I rented every horror film concerning werewolves or shape-shifters that I could find and made a rather long list of components each movie held, which ones stood out the most.

I had kept my promise to Dick and to Raven, but it didn't mean that I hadn't tucked the ominous Slade figure away in a mental folder to get back to. The same went for that Malchior kid.

Despite my best attempts to take an interest in the latest modifications Vic had made to his car aka "his baby", I couldn't concentrate. Not that I had ever had a great deal of ability to concentrate for a long while on something I wasn't terribly interested in in the first place, but even this was…

"Ridiculous," Vic said.

"Huh?" I replied, snapping back into reality.

"The price I paid for all the parts, the deal I got was ridiculous," Vic restated.

"Oh, yeah, totally dude." Even I could detect the disinterest in my voice.

Vic's brows knitted. "Ok, Gar, I know that you're digging the assignment you were given, but c'mon dude! Snap out of it! You're becoming obsessed."

"Yeah, right, you're completely right," I said, nodding slowly.

"So we both agree that you need another hobby?" Vic said, his arms crossing over his chest.

Again, I nodded, my mind working over what that new hobby could be and then I had a great, albeit a bit of a self-serving, idea.

"Vic, do you still dabble in doing blacksmith work?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Uh, well, I do from time to time. Why?"

Ok, time for a good reason. "Well, it's time consuming but not as much that I couldn't juggle it with my studies and you could teach me."

Vic was silent for a moment, clearly thinking my logic over before he let out a sigh.

"Well, I suppose it's better than you talking about werewolves and secret societies all the time." He gave me a very smooth smile. "All right, grass stain, I'll take you on as an apprentice…but just remember that I'm your Master."

I scowled. "Don't be cocky."

Bingo. Despite his comment, I was celebrating on the inside.

* * *

Yes, I had an ulterior motive to wanting to learn how to be a blacksmith. And yes, it had to do with my assignment.

I wanted to learn how to cast my own bullets. Of course, if I had mentioned that to Vic I'm sure he would've called up Dick and both would've had me committed to the psych ward and put on a forty-eight hour Thorazine drip just to be on the safe side.

Here's what I'd learned from all my movie watching: Silver bullet = Death.

Only thing was, after doing further research on why that was, I came to know three more things, one of which being that silver was thought to be a purifying metal and two, Hollywood had taken the idea of killing a werewolf with a silver bullet from the case of The Beast of Gévaudan since it was said that the Beast's killer had shot it with a blessed silver bullet.

I was never a religious type, but given the time in which The Beast of Gévaudan supposedly was out on a murderous rampage in the south-central French province, the Catholic Church had a strong hold over people.

The third thing I learned seemed to be the big key in poking a hole in this theory. Silver is a soft metal.

I'd listened to Dick ramble on about how bullet casings received marks from the chamber of the guns they were shot out of and that bullets were made out of lead because they were strong enough to grasp the side of chambers.

I was currently in the library gathering more information on firearms throughout the century, like the one that had supposedly shot the blessed silver bullet and ended the reign of The Beast of Gévaudan.

I was determined to prove my own theory – A silver bullet _would not_ be able to work on its own and that in order for the target to be shot at its intended target it would have to someone be mixed with another metal.

I knew that I'd have to convince Dick to help me out on proving my theory somehow. After all, I'd never shot a gun in my life and Dick was the one who was studying Criminal Justice and liked to brag about his marksmanship.

Also, after having the librarian search for a good twenty minutes, she had managed to find a book on Alchemy and other supposed sacred metals over the ages. The text was a leather-bound edition, rather old and musty smelling, like something that seemed like it should've been in a museum.

My free hand was reaching out to grab said textbook when another blocked my path. I stopped by furious scribbling in my notebook, ready to curse out the person who had stopped me while I was on a roll, but as I looked up and realized who it was, the words dried up in my throat.

"Are you an alchemist now, Garfield?" Raven asked, a smirk on her lips and a brow arched in what I could guess was amusement.

I cleared my throat. "No, uh, research."

She gave a disbelieving look and took the seat next to me quite to my shock. We hadn't spoken since that day I had asked her about Black Mass. I was sure that she had vowed to never speak to me again.

"Research," she repeated, her eyes narrowing in a skeptical manner. "About what metal?"

I knew that she knew my answer. She was just testing me. Ok, fine.

"Silver," I replied smoothly, leaning back in my chair casually.

A sigh escaped her. "And I thought that Dick was just over exaggerating your obsessive behavior when I overheard him talking to Kori."

"I'm not obsess…wait a minute, 'overheard' or eavesdropping?"

"Wh-What?" she asked, clearly flustered at my question. "I don't eavesdrop. That's rude. Besides, why would be eavesdropping when they were talking about you?"

Now it was my turn to smirk. "I don't know. Perhaps curiosity or perhaps because you just might care about me just a smidgen."

"Care," she said as though the word was foreign to her.

"Yes, care…about me."

Her violet-blue eyes glanced away quickly from me. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Admit it, Raven, some part of you cares. If you didn't you wouldn't have warned me about Black Mass."

"Wrong. I warned you about it because a clueless twit like yourself shouldn't be trying to mess with things he has no capacity to understand," she shot back, her voice rising slightly.

"Then why even come over here?"

"I…well…I just…" Raven stammered.

"You just what?" I asked as I leaned closer to her and we locked gazes. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, my stomach rolling about like there was a storm going on inside.

Raven opened her mouth to say something and then shut it, glancing away, and then back to me.

"Tell me, Raven," I said gently, more gently than I thought I ever could speak to someone. "Please," I added after another long moment of silence.

And with a sigh, she relented.

"Because perhaps just some very, _very_ small part of me doesn't want to see you get hurt or lost in your newfound love of knowledge gathering."

I smiled gently. "You want to be my anchor?"

Raven met my gaze once more, searching for a hint of a joke in my question was my best guess. Ever so carefully I moved my hand over to her small hand, just letting it rest upon it lightly.

"I'd really like that," I replied sincerely and let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding when she visibly relaxed.

* * *

**AN:** Ta-Dah! A new chapter! I know it's been a long time coming but boy has life been hectic!

As always, feedback is much appreciated. I'm really excited to start jumping back into this story as I work on another fanfic for the movie _Gabriel_.


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